Golf Club Fitting

Titleist Golf Club Trial

The full-set Titleist Golf Club Trial program provides golfers with an easy way to experience Titleist products on either the course or practice tee to help determine the right equipment for their game.

At the age of nine, Erik Compton was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. Three years later, in 1992, he received his first heart transplant. Several years after that, Compton was the no. 1-ranked junior golfer in the country. He attended the University of Georgia where he was an All-American and a member of the 2001 Walker Cup team.

In 2007, while playing a Nationwide Tour event, Compton suffered a major heart attack on the golf course. In mid-2008, he underwent a 14-hour surgery to implant a second new heart. Just five and a half months after his surgery, Compton participated in the Disney Children’s Miracle Network Classic where he shocked the golf world by making the cut. More...

Compton's career progressed steadily over the next couple years, a time during which he and his wife also welcomed their first child, a baby girl, to the world.

In June of 2011, Compton – who continues to walk all of his competitive rounds, despite being permitted by the PGA Tour to use a cart – shot a final-round 65 to win the Nationwide Tour's Mexican Open. The victory propelled him to earning his first PGA Tour card, a dream come true.

The fact that Compton is even playing golf is a miracle in itself. Had it not been for his health issues, Compton might be known for winning PGA Tour events rather than for the unparalleled courageousness he exudes by just competing. Hide

Erik Compton has teamed up with the Transplant Foundation, Inc (TF) which is a public 501 (c) (3) organization. Established in 1987 by thankful transplant recipients,

Transplant Foundation has grown tremendously over the years to focus on providing both financial and emotional support to transplant patients. Organ donation and transplantation saves lives, so it is also within their mission to educate the community on the importance of organ donation and to fund transplant research.

The eldest of seven brothers growing up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mike Gibson was 14 years old when he moved with his family to Arkansas. Mike played several sports, but was only a casual golfer. When he was 17, between his junior and senior years in high school, a tragic boating accident resulted in a left arm amputation above the elbow and the possibility of losing a leg. Three years after the accident, Gibson reintroduced himself to golf. That's how long it took before he was able to put weight on both feet. Mike regained his leg strength by relentlessly training on a stationary bike. More...

He was invited by a friend to hit golf balls at the local driving range, and recalls the experience as a series of mostly awkward whiffs and duffs. Before long, however, not only had Mike become a very proficient golfer, he'd become a student of swing mechanics. This lead to an appreciation of the importance of properly fit equipment. Today Mike is a Nationally Certified Custom Fitting Instructor and a member of Titleist’s prestigious Leadership Advisory Board.

Michael has been a Golf Professional for over 17 years, working at a number of California clubs including Haggin Oaks, where he worked under the tutelage of Ken Morton, Sr., a multiple National PGA award winner. He also spent 5 years as a Titleist Regional Instructor where he traveled the U.S. instructing the PGA Professionals in the art of custom fitting. While there, he fit thousands of golfers, including celebrities, multiple world-class athletes and PGA and LPGA Tour stars.

His passion for bringing golf to people of all ages and abilities has led Mike to many unusual challenges. He has assisted people recovering from strokes, polio, and other developmental disorders like Downs Syndrome and CP as well as fellow amputees. While the approach is a bit different, the results remain the same; an improved golf swing.

Diversity with so many people, swing styles, and abilities has given Michael special insight into the physics of golf. This unique skill allows him to quickly identify key areas to improve both the golfer's club and swing. As an expert in the science of golf, he understands how the latest in technology affects ball flight. He combines physics with the individual's abilities then translates this information to the students by removing golf ambiguity and delivers a more simplified approach.

Mike Gibson supports World Team (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) which uses the universal power of sports to create soul-stirring experiences by teaming disabled athletes with able-bodied athletes, forming a true TEAM.

The organization's principal aspirations and objectives are to: Increase and promote inclusive sports opportunities for all people, especially reaching out to disabled people; to organize and host innovative and challenging sporting events that encourage all individuals, especially those with disabilities, to participate in lifetime sports; and to promote diversity and increase awareness, acceptance and integration of those with disabilities.

"I’ve learned from teaching golf that the answers were pretty much here in your heart and the ball doesn’t care who you are, what you’re wearing, how many arms you have, whether you’re tall or short."Mike Gibson

"Live in the present and every step will get you closer to where you want to go."Erik Compton

"Golf gives me that opportunity - each hole has a start and an end. So does life – once you start the race, you must finish it."Mike Gibson

"You have to believe you can achieve any goal."Erik Compton

"There’s nobody saying you can’t do it, so get out there and go for it."Mike Gibson

"People put limits on themselves too much in life, and if you just have a vision you can achieve it."Erik Compton

"Get out of your own way, get up off the couch, whatever it is you’re doing make it a passionate plea. Be successful at it. Don’t worry about what other people are thinking."Mike Gibson

"Try not to let life pass you by and grow at your own pace and get out there and go do it absolutely."Erik Compton

"Put yourself in the mind of a child who doesn’t have any recollection of coaching or what a swing should look like. They look at it as an opportunity and just making the ball fly is ultimately what it’s all about."Mike Gibson

"Set your sights on the future. Most people live in the past, but life is today. Set goals. Aim high. Set your sights on something down the road that’s really going to pay off."Erik Compton

"I try to explain to my students that it doesn’t have to be complicated. People show up with this anticipation that it’s going to be hard and in actuality the ball doesn’t really care whether you’re a disabled or able bodied."Mike Gibson

"I’m always looking to help an individual through his or her own process to get up and try something new."Mike Gibson

"The game of golf has helped me at many different intervals of my life. .. I don’t think without the game of golf I would be alive today."Erik Compton

"Golf is great. You get to go outside and play on beautiful grounds with friendly people. It’s not a difficult sport. Work through your disabilities by seeking a PGA professional’s help and get out of your own way!"Mike Gibson

"Regardless of what your handicap is in golf, whether you’re a scratch golfer or a 36 handicap, if you can shave one shot on your game that is enough to make people forget about their problems."Erik Compton

"If you dwell in your past or on something that isn’t very positive, 'getting over it' helps you step through that window of life that gives you an incredible feeling and opportunity that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to share."Mike Gibson

"You have to make the best out of what you have today. Today is life."Erik Compton

"Get inspired by people who challenge themselves – those who try hard to overcome."Mike Gibson

"In sports and in life – if you fear standing up on a tee and duck hooking it out of bounds, you probably will. It’s kind of like you fight it, but if you can embrace it, look it straight in the eye and say, you know what? I’m going to beat this."Erik Compton

"There are parallels between life and golf that are very similar because there are challenges and hurdles on both sides."Mike Gibson

"This crazy game has saved my life."Erik Compton

"If you’re feeling challenged about what you’re doing and looking for a way to put yourself back into the mainstream of life don’t let anybody hold you back. Go out there and create something fun and unique that you can actually take to the end."Mike Gibson

"Two life lessons are to address your fears and get out of your own way."Mike Gibson